Romance battles terror at BO: I Me Aur Main Vs The Attacks of 26/11

Nana Patekar in a still from The Attacks of 26/11 that releases today. (Photo courtesy: Facebook)

Sanjeev Jaiswal (in the image) plays the tole of Ajmal Kasab, the main convict for the 2008 terrorist attacks on Mumbai, in the movie The ...

The Attacks of 26/11

Ram Gopal varma's movie The Attacks of 26/11 that releases today is based on the terrorist attacks on Mumbai in 2008. (Photo courtesy: Facebook)

A still from the movie The Attacks on 26/11 that releases today. The movie is bases on 2008 terrorist attacks on Mumbai.

A still from the movie The Attacks of 26/11. The movie explores various psychological aspects of the brutal attacks on Mumbai in 2008. (Photo courtesy: ...

The first Friday of March has two entirely different movies hitting the box-office. If 'I Me Aur Main' is a romantic drama, 'The Attacks of 26/11', is a crime thriller based on the 2008 Mumbai terror attack.

'I Me Aur Main' revolves around three characters played by John Abraham, Chitrangda Singh and Prachi Desai. Ishaan (John) is a charismatic, good-looking music producer from Mumbai. He stays at his girlfriend Anushka's (Chitrangda) house and takes his elder sister (Mini Mathur) and his mother (Zarina Wahab) for granted. Fed up of his flirtatious nature, Anushka throws him out of her house. Left with no option, he moves into a dilapidated house. While his mother leaves his father and moves in with him, his sister and his best friend are upset with him.

During a time when his life is going nowhere, his new neighbour Gauri (Prachi) comes into his life. From her, he learns the importance of relationships. He takes initiative to mend and maintain his relationships. Eventually Ishaan starts liking Gauri. Prachi says men will be able to relate to John's character and that after watching the movie they will start valuing women more. "It is a kind of character which every man, every boy in our country is going to relate to. In general, there is a certain characteristic in all of them - they generally don't grow up that fast and because of that some become self-centred, and some are very selfish," she said.

"All these things are very relatable. It's about Ishaan (John's character) but at the same time there is so much about women in the film. I think when you will watch the film, you will start valuing us a little more," she added. Directed by debutant Kapil Sharma 'I Me Aur Main' has been reportedly made on a budget of less than Rs 20 crore. It has been produced by Shrishti Behl Arya and Goldie Behl.

If 'I Me Aur Main' is a romantic drama, 'Attacks of 26/11', is a crime thriller based on the 2008 Mumbai attacks.

The narrative shows how 10 terrorists came to Mumbai and executed their plan of unleashing terror in key areas of the country's business capital. In the movie, Varma has also included the execution of Ajmal Amir Kasab, the lone terrorist who was caught alive and hanged on Nov 21, 2012. The director, known for making underworld dramas, has shown the exact sequence of events of 26/11, the night when 10 terrorists created havoc in Mumbai, killing 166 people.

Interestingly, 'The Attacks of 26/11' has been passed by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) without any cuts, but with an 'Adults Only' certificate. Nana Patekar will be seen as joint commissioner of police facing an enquiry over the attacks, while Sanjeev Jaiswal has been cast to play terrorist Ajmal Kasab. Atul Kulkarni and Ganesh Yadav are also part of the cast.

'The Attacks of 26/11' was selected for Berlin International Film Festival, 2013 in the Panorama as well as the Competition section.

Directed by Varma and co-produced by Alumbra Entertainment and Eros International, the film is said to be a Rs.30 crore project.

"The Attacks of 26/11" will hit the screens with 1,100 digital prints and 165 analogue prints in Hindi and Telugu.